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We are fortunate to have great fallow deer from the Nicola Valley readily available. It is tender and sweet, and a great winter meal with gnocchi and roasted vegetables

Marinade

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp juniper berries
1/2 tsp coriander seed
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1 clove garlic, sliced

Combine all ingredients and set aside

2 lb venison loin, boneless
Coarse sea salt

Trim venison loin of all silverskin and sinew and place in a container (a large freezer bag works well). Cover with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 days

Remove venison from marinade and allow to come up to room temperature

Season well and sear on all sides in a sauté pan over high heat
Transfer to a wire rack and roast in a hot oven 450 F until medium rare (registers 125 F on a meat thermometer)
Remove from oven an rest for at least 10 minutes before serving
Slice into thin slices across the grain and serve with gnocchi and rosemary sherry reduction

Fresh trout is readily found, and most of the time filleted already. Otherwise, this is a great recipe if you’re camping by the sea at the mouth of a river

4 trout fillets
salt
vegetable oil

Season and panfry until golden brown and crisp on skin side, turn and cook for an additional 2 minutes and serve over top of chowder

Mussel chowder

1 lb fresh mussels, cleaned, beards removed
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups water
2 sprigs thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Bring water, thyme, garlic, and wine up to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes
Add mussels and cook until they just open
Remove mussels from shell and set aside.
Discard shells
Strain liquid and reserve
Sauté onion, carrot, celery, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until translucent and slightly softened.
Add reserved liquid from cooking mussels and bring up to a simmer.
Add potatoes and cook until vegetables are tender.
Add cream and cook for 10 minutes more
Add cooked mussels, adjust seasoning and keep warm while trout cooks.
Add parsley just before serving

4 portions beef tenderloin (5-6 oz each)
steak spice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Season tenderloin well with steak spice and rub with chopped garlic and olive oil.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (may be left overnight)
Bring back to room temperature before cooking
Season steak well with sea salt
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Heat a cast iron pan over high heat until very hot
Place tenderloin into pan and sear until nicely browned on one side
Turn over, brown lightly on second side, and place entire pan into the preheated oven
Cook for 5-7 minutes, until pink in centre and temperature registers 130 degrees for a nice pink
Remove pan from oven (and steaks from pan) and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Ragout

2 Tbsp. butter
2 shallots, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 cup beef or veal demi glace

Melt butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Sauté shallots and garlic until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and sauté until golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with sherry.
Add demi glace and simmer until hot.
Season to taste and reduce to adjust consistency if required.

Fall brings football season, and this year all of our son’s games have fallen on Mondays, making it difficult to cook a hearty dinner and catch the game. We’ve resorted to preparing Monday’s dinner the day before, something that can be heated up quickly but will satisfy the hunger that comes from playing hard for two hours. You can add some cayenne if you all like it spicy, but we have a broad spectrum at our house so I put the hot sauce on the table and let everyone dictate their own level of heat. We usually serve it with some fresh biscuits, buns, or cornbread.

2 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 yellow peppers, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 28 oz (792 mL) tins diced tomatoes
2 10 oz (540 mL) tins kidney beans

In a heavy sauté pan brown beef well, remove and place in a strainer to allow fat to drain.
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil, and sauté vegetables until lightly coloured.
Add chili powder and cumin and stir until spices have coated vegetables
Add tomatoes, beans and drained beef and bring to a simmer
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, covered.

When I worked in the restaurant, we always were looking for inventive ways to do a traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. A few years ago, we decided to confit the turkey legs, brine and roast the breast, and serve both parts on the same plate. I brought some of each home and my family was sold.

2 turkey legs, thigh bone removed
2 tbsp salt
cracked pepper
1 bay leaf
2 stalks each rosemary and thyme

Season turkey with salt, pepper, and herbs, and place in a colander in a second bowl. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, remove colander, discard any liquid that has drained into the second bowl, and remove herbs

In a large thick bottomed pot, heat to 225 F:

2 L rendered duck fat, olive oil, or lard

Add turkey legs carefully, and simmer gently in the fat for 2 hours, until tender, making sure the temperature remains constant between 210 and 225 F
Lift turkey from fat and place on a rack to drain and cool
Once cool enough to handle, remove skin, bone, tendons, and cartilage and place turkey meat in a medium bowl.
Using a fork (or your freshly washed fingers), gently pull meat apart into fine shreds.
Place into an ovenproof dish with a cover and gently reheat to serve.

Brining does two things to poultry. it seasons the meat nicely all the way through, and it keeps it moist as it cooks. You can make a double recipe of the brine and do a whole turkey, and just roast it as you usually would. You will be amazed at the results.

Brine

2 L water
125 ml salt
125 ml sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely

1 boneless half turkey breast, 3-4 lb
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper

Place turkey breast in brine and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from brine, pat dry, rub with olive oil, and season well with coarse salt and pepper
Place on a rack in a roasting pan and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer registers 160 F
Remove from heat and allow to rest a half hour before carving.

We have a ham a few times a year, and usually buy either a butt or shank half, bone in. You can score the top and then when you brush it with glaze, it gets all golden and crispy as it bakes. Leftovers make great sandwiches, can be fried for breakfast, and the bone is great for pea or lentil soups.

1/2 ham, either the butt or shank portion
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 325 F

Place ham in a roasting pan lined with parchment paper
Score top of ham into 1 inch diamonds
Place ham in oven and roast for I hour, uncovered
After an hour, baste with glaze every 15 minutes, and continue to cook for an additional hour, or until a meat thermometer registers 140 F
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 1/2 hour before serving
Carve into thin slices and serve with candied yams and a green vegetable